JPH10276743A - Heat treatment equipment with sub heat treatment zone - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform heat treatment in a heat treatment zone due to a trouble, particularly for a heat treatment device for disinfecting, heating, cooling, etc., an intermediate product packed and provided in an individual food packaging line. In this case, there is provided a heat treatment apparatus having a sub heat treatment zone in which an intermediate product packed and packaged upstream is heat-treated without being left as it is. SOLUTION: A heat treatment apparatus 1 for continuously heat treating an intermediate product packed with food in an internal heat treatment zone.
Wherein the heat treatment zone includes a main heat treatment zone 3 in which heat treatment is carried out constantly and a sub heat treatment zone 4 in which heat treatment is carried out irregularly.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus which is mainly provided in a line of a food packaging process such as a process of filling a PET bottle or the like with a beverage, and performs sterilization, heating, cooling, etc. of the filled and packed intermediate product. In particular, when the heat treatment in the heat treatment zone becomes impossible due to a trouble, the heat treatment device having a sub heat treatment zone that prevents the intermediate product packed and wrapped upstream from being left as it is. It is related.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Generally, in the process of packaging foods in appropriate containers, filling, heat treatment, packaging, and the like are performed in a series of mass production lines. In this food production line, there are heat treatment devices such as a past riser, a warmer and a cooler for heat-treating an intermediate product filled with food by the filling device. As shown in FIG. 8, the heat treatment apparatus 1 'generally has an inlet conveyor 2', a heat treatment zone Z composed of heat treatment means such as a heat treatment conveyor and a water sprinkling facility, and an outlet conveyor 5 '. The intermediate product F 'conveyed from the filling device L1' by the upstream conveyor L2 'is taken into the heat treatment device 1' by the inlet conveyor 2 '. The introduced intermediate product F 'is subjected to a heat treatment in the heat treatment zone Z, transferred from the outlet conveyor 5' to the downstream conveyor L3 ', and carried to the next appropriate step.

However, such a continuous heat treatment apparatus 1 'has the following problems. That is, in the related art, when a trouble occurs in the downstream transfer conveyor L3 'of the downstream line of the heat treatment apparatus 1' or the heat treatment zone Z in the heat treatment apparatus 1 ', the heat treatment conveyor Z1 stops, and the entrance conveyor 2', The upstream conveyor L2 'and the like are also stopped. Therefore, the intermediate product F 'is left on the inlet conveyor 2' and the upstream conveyor L2 'until the heat treatment zone Z is restored. However, it is desired that the intermediate product F 'be heat-treated promptly after being filled, and if the intermediate product F' is left on the upstream conveyor L2 'for a while, some food products may cause defective products.
In addition, since the processing by the filling device L1 'and the heat treatment device 1' is suspended during the recovery, the production efficiency is naturally lowered.

[0004]

[Technical Problems Attempted to Be Developed] The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and is mainly operated when a trouble or the like occurs in a heat treatment zone where a steady heat treatment is performed or a downstream line thereof. By providing an auxiliary heat treatment zone, even if it is not possible to continue the heat treatment in the regular heat treatment zone, the filled intermediate product can be quickly heat-treated, resulting in product defects and the like. And prevent the production efficiency from dropping,
An attempt was made to develop a heat treatment apparatus having a new sub heat treatment zone that requires less installation space and can be implemented at lower cost than in the past.

[0005]

That is, a heat treatment apparatus having a sub heat treatment zone according to claim 1 is a heat treatment apparatus for continuously heat treating an intermediate product filled with food in an internal heat treatment zone. The heat treatment zone is characterized by comprising a main heat treatment zone in which heat treatment is carried out constantly and a sub heat treatment zone in which heat treatment is carried out irregularly. According to the present invention, since the sub heat treatment zone is provided, when the main heat treatment zone breaks down, during maintenance and maintenance, and when processing a large amount of intermediate products, the sub heat treatment zone is used, Prevention of defects and improvement of production efficiency can be performed. In order to obtain such an effect, a means for providing two heat treatment apparatuses on a line may be employed, but the present invention can be implemented at a lower cost than in this case.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat treatment apparatus having a sub heat treatment zone, wherein the heat treatment in the sub heat treatment zone is performed during an abnormal operation in which the heat treatment in the main heat treatment zone becomes impossible. It consists of. According to the present invention, even when a trouble occurs in the main heat treatment zone or the downstream conveyor of the downstream line and the heat treatment in the main heat treatment zone cannot be continued, by using the sub heat treatment zone, There is no possibility that an intermediate product packed and packed is left for a while on the upstream conveyor or the entrance conveyor. Therefore, the occurrence of product defects and the like is prevented, and the production efficiency is improved.

Further, in the heat treatment apparatus having a sub heat treatment zone according to claim 3, in addition to the above requirements, the main heat treatment zone and the sub heat treatment zone are arranged side by side from upstream to downstream. It is a feature. According to the present invention, the heat treatment apparatus can be made compact. In addition, the heat treatment means of the main heat treatment zone and the sub heat treatment zone can be partially shared, and the cost can be reduced.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a heat treatment apparatus provided with a sub heat treatment zone according to the present invention, and specifically, for example, a food filled in an appropriate container is heat-sterilized once by sprinkling hot water or the like, And refers to a past riser that cools down again. In addition, examples of the heat treatment apparatus to which the present invention is applied include a warmer that raises the temperature from 5 ° C. to 40 ° C., and a cooler that lowers the temperature from 80 ° C. to 40 ° C., for example. In addition, in the present invention, the food includes not only solid food but also drinking water and the like.

[0009] To explain the peripheral line of the heat treatment apparatus 1, upstream of the heat treatment apparatus 1, there is an upstream conveyor L2 for conveying the intermediate products F from the filling apparatus L1 for filling and filling the containers. Provided. A downstream conveyor L3 is connected to the rear of the heat treatment apparatus 1, and the heat-treated intermediate product F is transported to an appropriate next step.

The heat treatment apparatus 1 will be described. The heat treatment apparatus 1 has a rectangular box shape as a whole and includes therein an inlet conveyor 2 for receiving an intermediate product F from the upstream conveyor L2 and carrying the intermediate product F into the heat treatment apparatus 1, a main heat treatment zone 3 for normal heat treatment, and a main heat treatment zone 3. A sub-heat treatment zone 4 for performing heat treatment in place of the heat treatment in the heat treatment zone 3 in which the heat treatment is disabled, and an outlet conveyor 5 for transferring the heat-treated intermediate product F out of the heat treatment apparatus 1 and transferring the intermediate product F onto the downstream conveyor L3. Is provided. The member indicated by reference numeral 6 provided between the main heat treatment zone 3 and the sub heat treatment zone 4 is a zone partition plate.

The inlet conveyor 2 and the outlet conveyor 5 will be described. As the inlet conveyor 2 and the outlet conveyor 5, for example, an endless belt conveyor is applied. The inlet conveyor 2 and the outlet conveyor 5 are driven by the drive motors 2M and 5M. As a feature of the present invention, a switching gate 2a that can be opened and closed is provided on the entrance conveyor 2 just before the boundary between the main heat treatment zone 3 and the sub heat treatment zone 4. The main heat treatment zone 3 of the inlet conveyor 2
An openable and closable partition 2b is provided above the side. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), the partition 2b is embodied in such a manner as to be held up and down by a hydraulic cylinder or the like.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), it is also possible to lock and swing. Further, an appropriate conventional product guide not shown is provided on the inlet conveyor 2, and the intermediate product F on the inlet conveyor 2 is transferred to the main heat treatment zone 3 or the sub heat treatment zone 4 as a product guide. It is guided and transported.

The main heat treatment zone 3 will be described.
The main heat treatment zone 3 includes a main heat treatment conveyor 3A and main heat treatment means 10. As an example, the main heat treatment conveyor 3A is driven by a drive motor 3M in the direction of a solid arrow in FIG. 1A by an endless belt-shaped conveyor. At the end of the main heat treatment conveyor 3A, a payout device 3S is provided, and the intermediate product F is paid out onto the outlet conveyor 5. The main heat treatment means 10 is, for example, a shower watering facility such as hot water or cold water, and is a tray-shaped shower plate 11 provided above the main heat treatment conveyor 3A.
And a water storage tank 15 provided below the main heat treatment conveyor 3A, heat treatment water W such as hot water or cold water stored in the water storage tank 15, and heat treatment water W pumped from the water storage tank 15 via the suction pipe 14. A circulation pump 12 for supplying the shower plate 11 to the shower plate 11 via a supply pipe 13. Although the shower plate 11 is used for spraying the heat treatment water W more uniformly, it is needless to say that a shower pipe may be used to spray water.

The sub heat treatment zone 4 will be described. The sub heat treatment zone 4 is also composed of the sub heat treatment conveyor 4A and the sub heat treatment means 20, and has substantially the same configuration as the main heat treatment zone 3, but has a narrower width than the main heat treatment zone 3 because it is an auxiliary facility. . The sub heat treatment conveyor 4A is an endless belt conveyor as an example, and is driven by a drive motor 4M in the direction of an arrow indicated by a virtual line in FIG. At the end of the sub heat treatment conveyor 4A, a payout device 4S is provided, and the intermediate product F is paid out onto the outlet conveyor 5. Sub heat treatment means 20
Is a shower watering facility for hot water, cold water, or the like as an example, and a heat treatment water W is pumped from a water storage tank 15 via a suction pipe 24 and a tray-shaped shower plate 21 provided above the sub heat treatment conveyor 4A. Supply pipe 2 to 21
And a circulating pump 22 which feeds via a pump 3. The water storage tank 15 and the heat treatment water W are shared with those in the main heat treatment zone 3. In addition, instead of the shower plate 21,
It is the same as the main heat treatment zone 3 that a shower tube may be provided. Although the specific embodiment of the sub heat treatment zone 4 is as described above, the gist of the present invention is to provide another auxiliary heat treatment zone in addition to the heat treatment zone for regularly performing heat treatment. The specific structure can take various forms that are conventionally known or can be developed in the future, and can be variously modified depending on the heat treatment mode.

The basic embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above, and this operation will be described below. In the description, the normal operation will be described first, then the abnormal operation in which a trouble has occurred in the main heat treatment zone 3 itself will be described, and finally on the downstream conveyor L3 downstream of the main heat treatment zone 3. A description will be given of an abnormal operation when a trouble occurs. (1) Normal operation (see FIG. 3A) During normal operation, the heat treatment is performed in the main heat treatment zone 3 and the heat treatment in the sub heat treatment zone 4 is not performed. Accordingly, the sub heat treatment conveyor 4A and the circulation pump 22 in the sub heat treatment zone 4 are stopped. The partition 2b is opened, and the switching gate 2a is closed so that the intermediate product F does not go to the sub heat treatment zone 4. The intermediate product F from the upstream conveyor L2 is supplied to the entrance conveyor 2
And transferred to the main heat treatment conveyor 3A.
In the main heat treatment zone 3, heat treatment water W is uniformly applied from the shower plate 11 and an appropriate heat treatment is performed. For example, in the case of a past riser, the upstream side is heated by hot water, and the downstream side is cooled by cold water. The driving speed of the main heat treatment conveyor 3A is, for example, 450 mm / min and the required time is about 43 minutes. The intermediate product F after the heat treatment is transferred to the outlet conveyor 5, discharged out of the heat treatment apparatus 1 by the outlet conveyor 5, and transferred to the next step by the downstream transfer conveyor L3.

(2) Abnormal operation (see FIG. 3B) Next, a case where a trouble occurs in the main heat treatment zone 3 and the heat treatment in the main heat treatment zone 3 becomes impossible will be described. In this case, the partition body 2b is closed, and the switching gate 2a sets the intermediate product F so that the sub-heat treatment zone 4
, The switching gate 2a is opened. On the other hand, the sub heat treatment conveyor 4A and the circulation pump 22 in the sub heat treatment zone 4 are driven. The intermediate product F taken into the heat treatment apparatus 1 from the inlet conveyor 2 passes before the main heat treatment zone 3, is transported to the sub heat treatment zone 4 through the switching gate 2a, and is transferred onto the sub heat treatment conveyor 4A. . The intermediate product F transferred to the sub heat treatment conveyor 4A is subjected to heat treatment as in the main heat treatment zone 3 described above, passes through the outlet conveyor 5, and is transferred to the downstream conveyor L3.
To the next process. While the heat treatment in the sub heat treatment zone 4 is performed, troubles in the main heat treatment zone 3 are eliminated and restored.

(3) Abnormal operation (see FIG. 4) Next, an abnormal operation in which a trouble occurs downstream of the heat treatment zone 3 and the heat treatment in the main heat treatment zone 3 cannot be continued will be described. For example case will be described in which trouble occurs in L3 ₁ point downstream conveyor L3 as shown in Figure 4. In this case, the downstream conveyor L3, the exit conveyor 5, and the main heat treatment conveyor 3A are stopped so that the trouble does not further increase. FIG. 4
The accumulation zone A is the downstream conveyor L
3. If it is provided in accumulate zone A
It is also possible to drive the downstream conveyor L3 and the exit conveyor 5 on the upstream side as they are. The partition 2b is closed, and the switching gate 2a is connected to the intermediate product F.
Switch gate 2 toward sub heat treatment zone 4
Release a. On the other hand, the sub heat treatment conveyor 4A and the circulation pump 22 in the sub heat treatment zone 4 are driven. The intermediate product F taken into the heat treatment apparatus 1 from the inlet conveyor 2 passes through the front of the main heat treatment zone 3 and passes through the switching gate 2
a through the sub heat treatment zone 4 and is transported onto the sub heat treatment conveyor 4A. Sub heat treatment conveyor 4
The intermediate product F transferred to A is subjected to heat treatment as in the main heat treatment zone 3 described above. Sub heat treatment zone 4
Heat treatment in the same manner as the main heat treatment zone 3 43
Since a heat treatment time of about one minute is required, troubles occurring on the downstream transport conveyor L3 during the time when the leading intermediate product F reaches the outlet conveyor 5 are eliminated. If the trouble cannot be resolved within this heat treatment time, for example, the intermediate product F that has been heat treated is transferred to the accumulation zone A. In such a case, for example, the filling device L1
Etc. must be stopped in advance.

[0017]

Other Embodiments The present invention is based on the above-mentioned basic embodiment, but various modifications can be made.
That is, the user can use the sub heat treatment zone 4 in various ways. For example, FIG.
1 shows another embodiment of the use of the heat treatment apparatus 1 in which the heat treatment in the main heat treatment zone 3 and the heat treatment in the sub heat treatment zone 4 are simultaneously performed. When both the main heat treatment zone 3 and the sub heat treatment zone 4 are operated at the same time, a large amount of heat treatment can be performed at once. Therefore, if there is a worker who wants to increase the production efficiency and can immediately recover in the event of a trouble, or if there is sufficient means to avoid the trouble such that the worker always monitors the place where the trouble is likely to occur, It can be implemented in such a usage form. Further, as another method of use, for example, the sub heat treatment zone 4 having a small width is used as the main heat treatment zone 3 depending on the production amount of the product.
Can be used as a heat treatment zone when a trouble occurs. That is, the main heat treatment zone 3 and the sub heat treatment zone 4 can be used in reverse depending on the production amount and type of the product. In this case, the sub heat treatment zone 4 is defined as the main heat treatment zone, The heat treatment zone 3 is defined as a sub heat treatment zone.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment in which outlet conveyors for the main heat treatment zone 3 and the sub heat treatment zone 4 are separately provided. That is, the main outlet conveyor 3 is located downstream of the main heat treatment zone 3.
1 and a sub outlet conveyor 32 is provided downstream of the sub heat treatment zone 4. In the case of the above-described configuration, a trouble occurs on the main outlet conveyor 31, and the heat treatment can be continued without waiting for the recovery even when the trouble is long resolved.

Further, in the basic embodiment, the embodiment in which the water storage tanks 15 of the main heat treatment zone 3 and the sub heat treatment zone 4 are shared is adopted. However, as shown in FIG. , And the main heat treatment zone 3 and the sub heat treatment zone 4 can be completely independent. As an example, the heat treatment water W is shared, and during abnormal operation, the heat treatment water W in the water storage tank 33 of the main heat treatment zone 3 is replaced with the water storage tank 3 of the sub heat treatment zone 4.
By opening an appropriate gate leading to 3, the water is supplied to the water storage tank 33 in the sub heat treatment zone 4. At the time of restoration, for example, the water is pumped into the water storage tank 33 of the main heat treatment zone 3 by a pump. Of course, an embodiment in which the heat treatment water W is also separated can be adopted.

[0020]

According to the heat treatment apparatus having the sub heat treatment zone according to the first aspect, since the sub heat treatment zone 4 is provided, when the main heat treatment zone 3 is out of order, when the inspection and maintenance is performed, and when the main heat treatment zone 3 is inspected and maintained, a large amount of heat is applied. When the intermediate product F is processed, the sub heat treatment zone 4 is used to prevent product defects and increase production efficiency. In order to obtain such an effect, a means for providing two heat treatment apparatuses 1 'on a line may be employed, but the present invention can be implemented at a lower cost than in this case.

According to the heat treatment apparatus having the sub heat treatment zone according to the second aspect, even if a trouble occurs in the main heat treatment zone 3 or the downstream conveyor L3 of the downstream line or the like and the heat treatment becomes impossible, the sub heat treatment zone can be used. By using the heat treatment zone 4, there is no possibility that the filled intermediate product F is left for a while on the upstream conveyor L2, the entrance conveyor 2, or the like. Therefore, the occurrence of product defects and the like is prevented, and the production efficiency is improved.

According to the heat treatment apparatus having the sub heat treatment zone, since the main heat treatment zone 3 and the sub heat treatment zone 4 are arranged side by side from upstream to downstream, the heat treatment apparatus 1 Can be made compact. In addition, the heat treatment means of the main heat treatment zone 3 and the sub heat treatment zone 4 can be partially shared, and the cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view and a front view showing an embodiment of an internal structure and a peripheral line of a heat treatment apparatus having a sub heat treatment zone of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the same internal structure as the above, and a front view showing another embodiment in which the holding form of the partition body is changed.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing an operation mode during normal operation and during abnormal operation in which a trouble has occurred in the main heat treatment zone.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation mode at the time of abnormal operation in which a trouble has occurred in the upstream and downstream transport conveyors.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing another embodiment in which heat treatment is performed in both the main heat treatment zone and the sub heat treatment zone.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing another embodiment in which exit conveyors for a main heat treatment zone and a sub heat treatment zone are separately provided.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing an embodiment in which water storage tanks of a main heat treatment zone and a sub heat treatment zone are separated.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing an embodiment of an internal structure and a peripheral line of a conventional heat treatment apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Heat treatment apparatus 2 Inlet conveyor 2a Switching gate 2b Partition 2M Drive motor 3 Main heat treatment zone 3A Main heat treatment conveyor 3M Drive motor 3S Discharge device 4 Sub heat treatment zone 4A Sub heat treatment conveyor 4M Drive motor 4S Discharge device 5 Exit conveyor 5M Drive motor 6 Zone partition plate 10 Main heat treatment means 11 Shower plate 12 Circulation pump 13 Supply pipe 14 Suction pipe 15 Water storage tank 20 Sub heat treatment means 21 Shower plate 22 Circulation pump 23 Supply pipe 24 Suction pipe 31 Main outlet conveyor 32 Sub exit conveyor 33 Water tank ( A Accumulate zone F Intermediate product L1 Filling device L2 Upstream conveyor L3 Downstream conveyor W Heat treatment water Z Heat treatment zone (conventional device) Z1 Heat treatment conveyor (conventional device)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A heat treatment apparatus for continuously heat-treating an intermediate product filled with food in an internal heat treatment zone, wherein the heat treatment zone includes a main heat treatment zone for constantly performing heat treatment, and an unsteady heat treatment zone. And a sub heat treatment zone for performing the heat treatment. 2. The heat treatment apparatus with a sub heat treatment zone according to claim 1, wherein the heat treatment in the sub heat treatment zone is performed during an abnormal operation in which the heat treatment in the main heat treatment zone is disabled. 3. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the main heat treatment zone and the sub heat treatment zone are arranged side by side from upstream to downstream.